A Newark mom was misdiagnosed for 15 months before learning she has triple negative breast cancer. When Janelle Adams went to the doctor with a rash, she was told she had dermatitis eczema, and that she was too young to worry about the possibility of breast cancer.

She learned that wasn't the case at the age of 33, after receiving a referral for a mammogram from a receptionist.

Instead, she was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer, the most aggressive form.

While fighting this, Janelle and many other women are faced with racial disparities in modern medicine. According to the American Cancer Association, though the survival rate for breast cancer has gone from 75% to over 90%, Black women are 41% more likely to die of breast cancer than white woman, while being twice as likely to die if they are younger than 50.

Dr. Arnold Baskies from Global Breast Cancer initiative of the World Health Organization says access to medical care is among the culprits to blame.

“Access to care is different for white woman than for Black woman, says Dr. Baskies. “Also there is a biological difference in some women who are African American as opposed to white woman. We need better access to care for everyone, including Black woman. And that had to change or we won’t be able to make the progress we need to make.”

Through it all, Janelle continues to be a beacon of hope, sharing her story and volunteering at the American cancer society, while continuing to fight racial disparities in modern day medicine.

“I feel like cancer came into my life for a reason and my reason is to share my story so like the 10,000 girls behind me and my daughter and her friends don’t go through what i went through being misdiagnosed.”